Phoenicis Chronicles
by Rayestar Ikina
Summary: PrePoR. Two young hawks left with an entire kingdom to themselves. Not that fending off other nations and dealing with internal problems without having any experience is particularly helpful. Wish Janaff and Ulki luck.
1. That Day

**Prologue: That Day**

Sunlight slowly filtered into the room, embracing the slumbering hawk within its rays. Just as he seemed to snuggle into the warmth, a small breeze drifted in from the balcony and gently caressed his face, enough to awaken him. The hawk's eyes fluttered sleepily and in the next moment he sat up in shock.

...Then he remembered.

He had been in a tedious testing block on laguz history—dragon history, to be exact—when he was pulled out by the council. A bit relieved to have gotten out of it, his mind was soon changed as he discovered the reason why.

King Phoenicis had quietly passed away just an hour ago. Now the hawk, as a very likely candidate for the next king's privileged and personal attendant, would have to prove himself with more difficulty because of his age. Rumors had it another hawk was striving for the same position. At any rate, he and the other hawk had apparently been allowed to stay at Phoenicis Hall ever since then, which was about a week, and they had gotten to meet each other.

The unfortunate thing was that last night, it had been announced that there was the possibility that both hawks could share this job.

But no matter, because he knew he would do better anyway. Today was going to be a good day.

The laguz got off the bed, only to hear the frantic pounding of feet against the marble floor. Curious as to what was happening, he strode for the door, but he had only made it halfway when it flew open, missing his outstretched hand by mere inches.

The page standing before him began to stutter in embarrassment. "I'm sorry! I thought this was—I mean, I was looking for—you know, since today the choir—with perfect pitch needed for the—″

"Two doors down across the hall," the hawk stated flatly. This child could at least knock before barging in!

Anyway, that was, if the page was indeed seeking the master of perfect pitch. He himself was a bit tone deaf after all... But just a bit! Besides, why was the final ceremony for the funeral being held today when it could have been finished ages ago!? Tibarn had already been crowned king, although it had not been formal due to haste, and this was still going on.

As the page scurried off, the hawk made his way down to the kitchen and stealthily pilfered a piece of berry-flavored cake before escaping into the garden.

Nibbling away at the dessert, he pondered upon the day's probable events. He would for sure be expected to attend the final ceremony and—the hawk grimaced—be expected to give last parting words.

Well then, he would just have to go missing for today.

"You will not be going anywhere if I can help it." The hawk groaned; he must have been thinking out loud again. He stared into the fountain's waters to see the reflection of another hawk standing with a reprimanding look and his arms crossed in annoyance. ...Where did he come from? After deciding that it was impossible to ignore his rival, the hawk responded.

"Is that so? ...What is it you were going to do?" He lazily dragged his hand through the water, creating gentle ripples that distorted the mirror. "We're in no position to order each other around, anyway. Just come with me, and we'll have fun, I promise."

"Not as much fun after I tell you that we are no longer equal as rivals, but have been of equal royal status for three hours," the other laguz shot back. The fingertips breaking the surface of the water jerked and retracted, the hawk's head snapping up sharply.

"You lie! Two could never share the position!"

"I'm afraid not," the other said, clearly just as displeased. "Bear in mind that this is the first time the king will have attendants this personal. Now, as you know, we must begin to address each other as equals, Janaff."

He was about to take his exit when Janaff suddenly asked, "How came you to know this? For all I was aware of, we were as even as could be...Ulki..."

"They got lazy," was the stiff answer he received, dripping with sarcasm. "Besides, that is what happens when you decide to sleep in and not do your duty."

Janaff's eye twitched. Need there be further proof that he and Ulki being put together was nothing more than a joke to exercise his limits? It was no wonder the council didn't want to choose between them.

Ulki turned to leave once more, and he could not help but mention, "If you are going to be the king's 'eyes,' you could at least tie your hair back. Ashera knows how much trouble it will cause later on."

But Janaff was ready this time. "Yeah? You're the one who's supposed to be helping the choir!" His arrogance faded as Ulki donned a smirk.

"Just because I'm the king's 'ears' does not mean I can hear perfect pitch. To a certain extent, maybe, but not so well that I can quickly distinguish between sharp and flat. You have yet to meet and know your upper-classmen, Janaff. It was Reyson they were looking for." His comment had the desired effect as the younger hawk fought hard against his blush while glaring daggers.

Before he could make a comeback, the older hawk was already gone. Janaff angrily smacked the fountain's waters in frustration, quite an amount of it splashing and eliciting an indignant yet lyrical squawk from another visitor. At once the hawk inwardly cringed; there was only one laguz at the moment that the voice could have belonged to.

Janaff meekly came face to face with one of the most glorious beings of his days, which in this case was none other than the renowned White Prince Reyson. Except...the heron certainly wasn't looking at him. He was too busy leaning sideways and wringing some of his hair out.

Janaff was rolling his eyes when, without warning, Reyson swept his long hair upwards and back in a graceful arc, smartly slapping the hawk in the face with it.

Sputtering, he tried to regain his dignity as Reyson took it upon himself to point and start laughing. "Hey! That's not funny!" His fuming only made Reyson burst into a fresh set of giggles. "Quit laughing!"

With a scowl, Janaff nearly considered splashing the Prince again, but before he could, the heron had ceased and was now giving an apologetic smile.

The hawk hesitated, but he eventually nodded in acceptance. The royal heron line was now under Tibarn's protection, and so it would be almost a requirement to get along with Reyson, wouldn't it? His most likely permanent shift in social status had caused a dramatic effect on many things, and for the first time since his summoning, he wondered about what was going on back home. Did his friends miss him? How was his family faring? No one had had any chances to say goodbye.

Reyson must have sensed Janaff's loss of focus, for he cooed softly.

The heron watched Janaff as he snapped back into reality and bowed instantly, as logical manners dictated.

"Well met, White Prince," Janaff greeted in an attempt to fix his poor first impression. "I apologize for my rude behavior towards you earlier. You may call me Janaff, and I will be of service if you wish it so." In response, Reyson cocked his head in what seemed to be confusion, though he seemed to acknowledge the bow.

Realizing that Reyson probably hadn't understood a word he said, Janaff sighed inwardly. He had forgotten the Prince had yet to learn the common speech.

But still, the hawk whistled a few words hopefully in the hawk language. No such luck.

Reyson began to speak in his native tongue, trying to respond, but Janaff could hardly understand anything either. This was going to get them nowhere. After a second's thought, he knew what he wanted to do. Without a word he grabbed Reyson's hand and dragged him along back down the hallways. However, the two were nearly beyond the main gates when a small blur of silver and blue dashed around the corner and collided head-on with Janaff, knocking him back into Reyson.

The figure hurriedly picked himself up and sped away without so much as a brief apology. But Janaff had already identified him. "Keer!" he yelled angrily. That little brat was going to pay; this was the second time that week.

But no one else saw it fit to punish Keer, because they pitied him. A hawk child of just eighteen years, he lived only with his mother who was a mere housemaid in the Hall, for his father was one of the last laguz to be taken as a slave for those... _Humans._

Then again, other servants had been whispering to each other that recent events like this weren't normal behavior for the child. That in particular meant Keer didn't have the right to run about causing havoc. At least, Janaff was not ready to show sympathy for this youngling quite yet.

Leaving Reyson staring in bewilderment, he shot as swift as an arrow in Keer's direction, catching him almost immediately with one hand over his mouth and the other around his waist.

"Let me go!" was the automatic, muffled response accompanied by frenzied flailing.

"No. You've been very naughty," Janaff chided. That was when Keer nipped his hand as hard as he could, the sting just as sharp as if it had been his beak. A small hiss escaped the older hawk's lips as he cradled his now slightly bleeding hand, allowing Keer to make a successful run for it, his silver ponytail darting this way and that.

Janaff cursed under his breath and wondered what could have possessed a once stoic child like Keer to suddenly become wild and untamed.

He would have to leave those thoughts alone for now, however, because at that moment Strahl appeared.

Strahl, the head of their hawk council, had a rather agitated look plastered on his face, and Janaff's eyes widened. Splendid, he was in for it now. The hawk steeled himself for the verbal lashing about his absence, but it never came.

"Quickly, now! Phoenicis is in dire need of your help!" ...Wait, that wasn't right.

Strahl ushered the other two with no small amount of heckling, and if not for the urgency in his voice and the odd comment, Janaff would have lagged all he wanted on his part. However, as he left Reyson and headed for the courtroom, many servants shrank back into the shadows and looked at him with large eyes that seemed to plead with what, he didn't know. The hawk was perplexed at how he could have missed what was going on and only then did he seek to quicken his pace.

When they arrived, Janaff was told to take a seat and pay close attention. Without a doubt, Ulki was present as well. Janaff studied him, but he didn't appear to have any clue either.

"The information we are about to yield to you may come as a bit of a surprise," Strahl began, "so please, prepare yourselves." The elder hawk also took a deep breath, before stating himself very simply.

"Janaff, Ulki... You two have acquired complete and official rule of Phoenicis for the time being..."

A hush fell over the room in a quarter of a second. Several minutes' worth of silence accompanied it until Janaff suddenly blurted out impulsively, obviously not having grasped the full concept. "Tibarn is already dead!? But we—we can't be in total control—that's just..." He trailed off, quieted by the disapproving stares he was receiving, but he noted that Ulki was having just as much of a quandary as he was.

At length, another elder finally replied wearily, "Make no mistake, young one. Lord Tibarn is still very much alive." Without having to glance, Janaff saw Ulki raise a quizzical eyebrow, though it swiftly went back down.

Ulki then voiced the exact question Janaff had wondered himself. "But if so, why are we acting as regents when it is clear that he draws breath?"

"And more so, why _us_?" the younger hawk piped in.

"We are in as much shock as anyone would be," the novices were reminded. "Listen well, now, for the council is obligated to tell you everything. Lord Tibarn has apparently left on a journey for reasons unknown to any of us. He wrote a note saying he would return soon, but regarding the amount of provisions that has disappeared...

"...As well as this." Strahl gravely displayed in his hand the sacred emblem of Phoenicis.

While Janaff's face grew blank at the gravity of the situation, Ulki further added insult to injury with a stark realization. "That emblem is supposed to be in the king's possession at all times. It signifies who he is, of course," he said. "He is now gone but not dead, and according to the new rules Phoenicis has recently established about rank, Janaff and I would be next in line. We are of higher status than the royal council itself."

Color drained from many of the hawks' faces, for they knew this was only the beginning of the troublesome things to come. What could be worse than having a missing king right after the death of the previous one?

A couple of inexperienced younglings who didn't get along that well and were required to run their country, that's what. It all began that very day.


	2. First Reality Check

**Chapter 1: First Reality Check**

A long two months had gone by since _that_ incident. But surprisingly, Phoenicis had suffered little during the course of the period. Everything had gone relatively well and stayed in order for the most part.

Well, Ulki thought darkly, that was how his supposed fellow attendant saw the whole thing, anyway. In his opinion, Janaff was being far too lenient with this predicament, seeing as how the young hawk had neglected most of _what should have been_ his shared workload which now concerned kingly matters. Did he have any idea how hard and mind-boggling some of these things could be!?

...But of course, the hawk decided after a moment. That was the whole reason why Janaff was decisively avoiding this in the first place, after all.

Without grumbling out loud to himself, since it would not show appropriate class during a council meeting, Ulki continued endeavoring to absorb the information. But when he received the chance, Janaff was getting it. Contrary to what that irresponsible hawk argued, he could _not_ listen to more than one thing at a time!

Before Ulki knew it, the discussion had resolved itself, and he was handed a document to look over. Briefly glancing at it, he merely decided that Janaff could read it instead. There was no point in deciphering what he considered illegible when Janaff could peruse it without even trying.

The older hawk had hardly delivered the document onto Janaff's desk when a tumultuous uproar erupted from the common hall.

"_Get out! Get **out**, you disgusting, hideous creature!"_ The furious shriek gave company to continuous sounds of fragile shattering and peals of childish laughter.

Ulki pressed his lips into a thin line as he bolted down the corridor towards the hall. If it was Keer again, he'd... That child had finally turned nineteen last week and still didn't know how to behave!

Though his mother had passed away suddenly a month before, Keer hadn't seemed as sad or depressed as he was panicky and tense. He even insisted that a funeral need not be held. No one paid it any mind at the time, but now that Ulki thought about it, it was rather strange...

Reaching the vast room, Ulki noticed Janaff arriving as well and was secretly a bit glad, for the younger hawk's clan tended to have more family members. Janaff would have to be somewhat decent with little hatchlings, Ulki supposed. At any rate, he had better make sure before—too late, he cursed. An unidentifiable object had come hurtling through the double door entrance to the kitchens, tripping once with a low giggle but immediately melding itself to Janaff's leg.

"Hey, cut it out! Get off me! Stop—" Ulki gave a tired sigh for even bothering to get his hopes up; he knew he should have expected no less.

With a sudden start, the older hawk snapped to attention as the room became deathly silent. Echoes were left to slice through the air like mere whispers, the vibration of sound so faint it seemed as if the world had gone still. The focus of nearly all the common hall's occupants was centered upon the tiny, disheveled being that clung tightly to Janaff's pant leg.

Said hawk had gone pale, even trembling slightly with goose bumps rising all over his skin, Ulki noted, but who could blame him? In fact, he gave Janaff much credit for neither panicking nor screaming. Ashera knew how much that would hurt, the hawk thought sourly as he unconsciously touched his ears.

The small figure, on the other hand, was staring with its large eyes wide open. Not from fright, but from simple curiosity.

Slowly, the little being detached itself, but it grabbed a fistful of Janaff's glossy hair right then, much to his chagrin. Tugging none too gently on it, the being finally shattered the unearthly quiet with a surprisingly big, loud voice.

"You're going to play with me," it demanded, "because you're really pretty. You have to have a dolly to play with too! Don't you?"

A servant that had been hiding out in the background promptly fainted, while Ulki's own knees were threatening to give out from under him. Just from watching that atrocious _human_, even if it was an innocent young one, he realized Janaff was still his kin and of his blood. Even he didn't deserve this.

The younger hawk was near close to hyperventilating when a voice known too well rang clear. "Serrai!"

Turning at the sound of its name, Serrai instantly released Janaff's hair and skipped all the way over to the voice's owner, none other than Keer. At once a hawk stepped forward and accused, "How dare you bring the unmentionable into our territory!?" Several others chorused their agreement while Janaff could only nod mutely, still shaky from the sudden encounter.

"Why in the blazes would I!?" came the outraged cry in face of an altercation. "Never, ever, in a million years, would I take in a blasted human!"

Serrai suddenly looked ready to cry. Whispering to herself more than Keer, it was faint, but Ulki heard it and Janaff read her lip movements nonetheless. "Did I make Brother Keer sad again?"

"I'm not your brother!" Keer, caught up in his indignant fury, all but screamed at the child. A few tears escaped, but that quickly changed as Serrai's expression turned into a full-blown pout; she said nothing, however. As impressed as the laguz were at her somewhat obedience, many of them frowned at this. Since when had humans bothered to acknowledge them at all?

A child human, no less. Janaff estimated Serrai to be a little younger than Keer, most likely fifteen or sixteen. The hawk knew he was probably off by years in human terms, but he didn't care enough to try and guess Serrai's real age.

"That's enough," Ulki commanded. "Keer, I don't know how you managed to associate yourself with that...thing, but take it away for now." Keer shot him a scathing look, but Ulki ignored it as he went on, "It's just a child. Go play with it or something." The young hawk looked for the entire world as if he had been given the worst punishment a laguz could have. He complied nonetheless, however, as he swept Serrai into his arms and vanished.

All at once, a thunderous clamor arose with any attempt to quell it being hopelessly crushed. At a sudden loss as to what to do next, Ulki caught Janaff's eye, and the younger hawk affirmed it as they both struggled to exit.

Once away from the common hall, the two hawks quickly turned towards their shared quarters, locking the door upon arrival.

"What are we going to do with it!? If King Tibarn comes back and finds out," Janaff fretted in a panic, "we'll be roast hawk for dinner!"

Ulki suddenly had difficulty restraining the urge to bash his head repeatedly against a wall until this nightmare was over... But no, he reminded himself, this was all real, and now on top of running the country's affairs, he had a human to worry about. _A human!_

A hand waving in front of his face startled him as well as alerting him that he had lost focus. Glancing at Janaff, the older hawk was amused to witness the other's apparent uncertainty at finally experiencing this severe of a situation, where he would eventually need to, among all things, play his role.

Shifting from one foot to the other, Janaff produced a sheepish smile. The other hawk couldn't help but almost not believe his next words.

"Well... I haven't been attending to my duties lately, have I? I'd like to make it up to you...and everyone else, but mostly you—if you don't mind, and..." Janaff stuttered as he tried to arrive at something. Ulki wasn't surprised. But he did become suspicious when Janaff's eyes alighted excitedly.

"Oh wait, I know! You can just carry on as usual, and in exchange, I'll deal with the thing!"

It was a rather poor balance, they both knew, but Ulki grudgingly accepted nonetheless. Janaff had most likely given himself a task far more troublesome than he realized. Frankly, he couldn't care less, but if it negatively affected Phoenicis...

Of course, Janaff never even bothered to dwell upon the possibility as he promptly took his leave, overlooking a stray document that fluttered to the floor and under the desk.

Passing by the still noisy common hall and about to pop in to inform the others of his new task, a loose phrase swept past the hawk's ears and caused him to pause. "The only reasonable thing to do is make it a slave!" As a myriad of others affirmed their approval, Janaff quietly backtracked.

Making the human a slave was too low, even for him, who was always invoked with animosity when dealing with anything human. Many of his cousins had been sold into slavery, but he seemed to be born with luck. The young hawk's generation was set during a lull in the laguz slave craze, enough for him to have escaped.

Yes, he reasoned, if Ashera gave him at least that much love, would she not deem it fair for him to share his luck with another young one? Even if it was a... Janaff shuddered a bit and tried to will himself not to think upon it too much.

He began to wander outside, idly pondering if he could get the human to be on the laguz side instead. But if he did, there would be serious trouble. While benefiting its outlook on laguz, it would certainly be scorned by others of its kind.

Which was worse? Janaff couldn't decide.

Arriving at an unexpected destination, which just happened to be an old training playground situated near an extremely steep incline, the hawk gave a strained shout.

From his position, Keer whipped around to cast the older hawk a livid glower. Nonetheless, he was apparently unfazed and swiftly executed exactly what Janaff feared he would do. Keer's pale blue robe flashed, almost instantly followed by a shrill shriek that was neither hawk nor laguz. Janaff could only quiver listlessly in place as he witnessed Keer shove his human charge off balance and over the edge.

For a split second, Janaff's eyes suddenly misted over for some peculiar reason. He haphazardly wiped at them in annoyance to clear his vision, only then to discover Keer's speedy absence. "Brat."

Careful not to violently swear out loud—it was infuriatingly easy to try his patience, Janaff calmed himself and approached the sharp slope, cautiously taking a peek.

"Ashera..." The hawk ended up collapsing onto his back out of sheer relief. Not only had the human survived by somehow using the White Prince as a cushion, but the heron, being gentle by nature, didn't seem to think any worse of it. In fact, they looked to be amiable enough that Janaff automatically chose to tail Keer. The event had been so abrupt that he failed to comprehend very much of it.

His decision proved fruitless, however, when evening arrived without any rending signs of the little hawk.

Janaff frowned slightly as he returned from outside the Hall; this wasn't going to make things any easier. After grimly noting that there was still unmentionable talk floating around about the human, he decided to skip dinner and head straight for his chamber.

Upon nearing, Ulki suddenly loomed into view. "You have a visitor," was all he said, though with a stare that clearly expressed, '_Should I have trusted you after all?'_

Yielding the most sarcastic smile he could muster, Janaff nonetheless nodded an affirmative, already theorizing who it was.

Sure enough, the nuisance was waiting for him cross-legged on his bed sheets with a stony expression on his young face. It was figuratively an eternity before anything began. Janaff unexpectedly found himself starting with, "Get off my bed, brat."

Keer merely snorted, but he complied despite the ever-present belligerence in his eyes. "Aren't you going to ask me why I deliberately pushed Serrai off?"

"Did you want something else?" the older hawk replied shortly. He could almost see the non-existent pout on the child's face at having been trapped so early on. "Isn't that why you're here?"

"...It's more than that." Keer grumbled. But it was quite a while before he hesitantly ventured forth. In a voice so mumbled that Janaff could barely decipher it, he quietly uttered, "I didn't mean to try and kill my sister..."

Wait, what? Janaff's head was already spinning. There was no way the two calling each other siblings was coincidence. In the first place, Keer would never...! Would he? "Back up," he ordered. "How did you get involved with it at all?"

"Serrai is not an object," was the reproachful response. "She's been treated like so by her own kind too. That's why Mother brought her home."

Janaff found himself catching his breath, all but yelling. "Your mother brought a human home!?"

"Shh!! Not so loud!" Keer's eyes darted around nervously as his frame tensed. "You know how Father was taken? Mother tried to go see him once. Only once, but when she came back, she had Serrai with her. She told me three-year old Serrai was my new sister and that she was a beorc—I was only fifteen then." The older hawk's face hardened at the usage of 'beorc.'

"When I entered the academy a month later, I got into a fight on the first day with...eh, someone about beorc, and that's how I found out that beorc are actually the humans who hate us. And they're...they're the ones who took Father away... Mother explained a lot after that.

"I've hidden her for three years since then. I recently told one of my best friends about her—I didn't know what to do anymore after Mother died. But he spit in my face and deserted me." Keer's voice had built a cold, frosty front, but it chipped and cracked at once. "Over the next few weeks, the entire academy must have heard because all of my other friends left me behind." Pausing, he unconsciously swallowed hard. "Serrai slowly took everything from me. Everything..."

Lowering his voice to a whisper, he spoke bitterly, "But I still can't hate her for it. What else can I say? Was I supposed to be able to control what would happen with my own two hands? This isn't something I can blame anyone for. Only Ashera knows why this has become..."

Stunned for the moment, Janaff queried equally as softly, "Why didn't you tell us sooner? I would have helped, you know."

The other narrowed his eyes immediately. "Yeah, right. You don't fool me. More like ship Serrai back to Begnion before anyone else found out." Janaff inwardly winced at the younger hawk's sharp insight; that was almost exactly what he had been thinking, but he still hadn't meant for it to come out like that.

"Except," Keer continued evenly, "that you're probably right. It would have been the better thing to do. Would you blame me, though, if I asked to go with her? I have to know that her real family will love her. If not, I will turn myself in as a slave, and that way I can keep an eye on her...and maybe see my father in the meantime."

Janaff's mouth opened, but no sound came out. He was certain that both of them had no doubts that Keer's father was long dead, and thus...

The child was doing this on purpose, dealing out a stark lie straight to his face, which not very many could. ...Then again, the primary thing all laguz recognized as children was family.


	3. Departure and Arrival

**Chapter 2: Departure and Arrival**

It explained a lot, but Ulki didn't quite know what to think as he massaged his temples. He hadn't meant to eavesdrop; in fact, he had been waiting—even with his back turned—at the very end of the hall. There simply hadn't been anything else around to muffle the other two's voices.

_Blast_, Ulki thought with disgust, _now I am making excuses for myself. I haven't spent that much time with Janaff, have I?_ But, he supposed, he really did deserve to know. Janaff couldn't have hidden it from him for long, anyway.

Ulki concurred that the human was definitely to be sent back home. The only question now was how to have it go about it his way. He unfortunately couldn't pull rank on Janaff, and although the younger hawk _had_ offered to resolve the situation... But this was turning out more difficult than it had to be. Therefore, Ulki decided he would guarantee a zero chance for mistakes.

Yes, he had everything planned and mostly under control... Mostly.

That was, he did until his ears picked up the subtle warning within Janaff's next statement. "At the very least, this must be a three-way compromise."

The voice was quiet, but it had uttered so sharply that Ulki knew that Janaff had been deliberately directing it at him. Not only that, but Ulki could feel the other's piercing eyes drilling a hole between his shoulder blades, so how could Janaff not know?

"Very well," Ulki replied as he turned around. "Meet me before sunrise in the courtyard with Keer and the child, and we will go from there. Quite the bother, but I will arrange for our short leave."

Indeed, the next morning witnessed three misty figures reflected within the beads of dew still lingering on the leaves.

"Where are we going?" Serrai murmured sleepily from atop Keer's back. The young hawk had been questioning the same thing himself, but it didn't seem as if he was going to be answered anytime soon; his two elders were already conversing quite furtively.

Their destination within the bordering forest ended up being nowhere special. This resulted in the beorc child quickly growing bored, which unfortunately left Keer to somewhat forfeit his input for the compromise as he left to play with her.

Afterwards followed an extended lapse of time devoted to silence. Janaff then boldly ventured, "We will return Serrai in face of Begnion's royal court to ensure—"

"Absolutely not," Ulki interrupted immediately. "Do you not understand how Phoenicis will be viewed if we show up with their human in our possession? As things stand between our nations, Begnion could easily make things ugly for us in a heartbeat. And need I remind you that we may soon be at war with Kilvas?"

Janaff rolled his eyes. "I am aware of that, but how else are we to bring her back if not directly? We won't be able to sneak in without being caught."

"Ordinarily," Ulki mused, "the council could handle situations that require diplomacy, but with the sudden outrage at Serrai's presence, this is not the time to ask for their help. We are definitely on our own."

"You didn't answer the question."

But the older hawk wouldn't have been able to. At that moment, Keer suddenly came crashing through the bushes with a look of sheer terror upon his face. However, he didn't grace either of the two with so much as an acknowledgment as he continued his frenzied dash. Janaff and Ulki shot each other alarmed glances as they both began to follow; Serrai's absence was not promising.

With a few long strides, Ulki plucked Keer off his feet and rapped his knuckles smartly across the little hawk's forehead. "Now, then..."

Forceful resistance met him unexpectedly as Keer squirmed and twisted with all his might. "You don't understand! There isn't any time! They took Serrai! They're taking her towards the Hall! What if the council—" The hawk's breathing was beginning to hitch.

Ulki clutched Keer's chin firmly, forcing the child to look up as he asked calmly, "Who? Who took the girl?"

"Who?" Keer repeated, still stunned. His face soon cleared, and his composure gradually returned along with an odd air of certainty about him. "But you guys can take care of things. The council will have to listen to you."

"In reality, not likely, most especially if the matter concerns humans," Janaff put in wryly. "You might want to tell us what's going on."

"Beorc from Begnion are here—actually, more like half their army maybe—hey! Wait!" Keer got no further. In less than a second, the two older hawks had disappeared.

It was difficult to assess which laguz's wake the trees swayed more violently under. Leaves rippled crazily, complementing the branches' temporary ability to deliver a serious backlash. The entire forest seemed to shudder from the intensity of their travel.

Ulki's expression was extremely cross; the council would undoubtedly steer this situation in a less than desirable direction. He simply wanted nothing more to do with the human child. Was it too much to ask? Meanwhile, he gazed back at Janaff disapprovingly. From the looks of it, the younger hawk was going to more than likely let his emotions obstruct their ultimate goal for this mess.

Not that they would be able to make it back to the Hall in time to halt anything from taking place. ...But still better than not being present at all.

"Blast, there's no way the council is going to wait for us!"

"That much is obvious! Please," Ulki snapped, "spare me your thoughts and make more haste!"

"Well, don't shed your tail feathers over it," Janaff retorted indignantly. Nonetheless, the hawk did increase his pace with a bit of fervor. He wasn't that ignorant of how things worked. The council would see to it that, even without a current king, Phoenicis's image would stay strong, and that meant knocking Ulki and Janaff out of the picture.

Alas, the numerous human soldiers lounging outside Phoenicis Hall could not mask the fact that the main meeting room was already guarded against any interruptions. This was evident in that a couple of hawks were stationed as sentries—in their laguz forms, that was.

"Guys, wait for me!" Keer's mouth met dirt as two different hands simultaneously reached out to push his head down.

Little did he know then, he would have to crash the meeting entirely by himself as Ulki and Janaff provided the distraction. It was scary yet exciting at the same time. Should he go for a big, flashy entrance? Sneaky? Would anything even be right in this kind of situation?

But the only thing he could not be was weak.

Time expired as Keer reached the doors. There hadn't been enough of it to decide upon something. The hawk now wondered if he should at least listen in first.

"Her mother and father want her back! They have lost three years of caring for her!"

Well, _that_ wasn't true. Keer kicked open the doors without hesitation and, fighting down tingling nerves, strode in like it was nothing. However, he was unprepared for the staggering weight of every single stare in the room—including, he realized in embarrassment, the White Prince.

"Brother!" At least not everyone felt insulted by his presence. And Serrai's voice hadn't lessened any in volume or emotion, which he was infinitely glad for.

"Even if her parents lost those years, could they even begin to care for her? Parents who had failed to cherish her since birth? Real parents wouldn't neglect her, much less abandon her!

"It would have been so easy to just pin the blame on us laguz, which no doubt you guys probably did. But three years is a ridiculously long time to wait before deciding to come looking! Kilvas would never have taken her, and Begnion has an army large enough to divide between going to Gallia and Phoenicis at the same time! You guys are useless! Serrai would be happier here!" Keer finished his statement proudly.

"But a child's opinion will not matter!" a beorc cried out. "Moreover, you sub-humans have gone as far as to teach the girl to live among you. Our races will always be different no matter what you try! This is unacceptable."

As these words were spoken, Ulki snorted to Janaff while out of sight behind the doors. "The council won't take that lightly." Janaff nodded knowingly in response.

True enough, no sooner had he said this when every single council member gave a simultaneous outcry, more than half of them rising out of their seats in taking offense. From what Janaff could see to his satisfaction, many of the humans in the room were unsuccessful at hiding their flinching.

"We have done no such thing!" Strahl's tone was crisp. "You may not have realized it, but we have not objected to, as of yet, the idea of returning her to you. Take her and leave, and all will surely be well! And Ulki, Janaff; stop dawdling. Enter, if you would."

Begnion's diplomats, however, ignored the two hawks completely as they came in. "Why is it, then, that the word _laguz_ was among her first words to us?"

"Because sub-human is an ugly word," Serrai said meaningfully. "Laguz is a lot prettier." Keer looked horrified as he attempted to shush her.

"That's a good enough reason, don't you think?" Janaff asked. Ulki elbowed him roughly at this, and Janaff's reply ghosted over his tongue, knowing the older hawk could hear it. "I'm tired of this worthless quarrel. Is it so bad if we kick them out for that? This isn't about Serrai anymore." It never had been.

By this time, the council had caught on. "Yes, yes," Strahl said. "The damage is done. If you won't take her back, then we will keep her. Now if you would, please leave."

There were no underlying feelings for Serrai, Keer knew. The council was wearier of this altercation than they cared about her at all. Even Reyson looked ready to put up a fight if need be.

A beorc in overly decorative clothes—the head of Begnion's royal court, Ulki guessed—opened his mouth presumably for further arguing, but he closed it and gulped audibly as every hawk seemed to be on the verge of shifting forms.

"You would dare to resist your unfavorable odds?" Janaff challenged. The man meekly shook his head. "Smart answer, human."

As the beorc hastily departed from Phoenicis, Keer happily blew a raspberry at them, ignoring the disapproving stares as Serrai laughed and did likewise. Not one to be left out, Janaff also yelled...something that was rather unintelligible. Several stared at him in confusion, others in exasperation, but to everyone's surprise, Reyson's lips quivered in delight.

"Janaff," Ulki questioned, "that phrase wouldn't happen to be in heron language, would it?"

"Huh? Eh, well..." The younger hawk rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Yeah, I guess it is. How could you tell?"

Ulki rolled his eyes. "Don't give me that. What kind of king's ears would I be if I didn't familiarize myself with all the different bird tribe dialects? Trust me, although it is not a hawk's ardent desire, I know how to speak crow, too. As for heron, it is rather difficult to learn. May I ask how you came by it?"

"Um, that is..." Janaff's cheeks were tinged a faint pink as he began stuttering. "I-I learned it f-from L-Lilia...b-but it's not even a proper phrase! I mean, she was probably cussing! I just kind of..."

"That would explain why the White Prince can't seem to stop chuckling."

Later, as dusk came around, the two attendants and two younglings were found in the formers' quarters. Everything was quiet; Keer was holding Serrai close, feeling anxious now that the time had come.

The older hawk spoke up first. "You know that she will not be allowed to reside here for much longer."

"I haven't decided where to let her go yet."

"That is a rather troublesome issue," Ulki said. "No laguz territory would accept her, and Begnion is certainly out of the question. The only possible and positive option I could see would be Crimea."

"But Crimea has just recently emerged as a nation," Janaff pointed out. "If Begnion invaded, Crimea would be crushed within a fortnight!"

"Where better to place the girl than a neighboring, insignificant, human nation?" From Janaff's expression, Ulki's point had been taken. "She can lead a normal country life away from ostracizing, and Keer can visit her once he is older without fear of disturbing a village's discrimination."

This was surely the best option.

But it didn't mean it was the easiest. Every time Ulki and Janaff turned around, they were met with shifty glances and pitied looks. Every time Keer turned around, however, there always seemed to be someone else trying to pierce between his shoulder blades with their uncomfortable stare.

The majority of Phoenicis was more than pleased to witness Serrai depart. Perhaps it was because two high-ranking juvenile hawks would be gone for at least two weeks, but it was still two weeks worth of freedom, and it blatantly showed. It could be assumed that things would be reined in tighter than they had already been by the time the three got back.

Keer's heart began to quicken upon their arrival at Crimea. They couldn't take too long choosing a place, but he still wanted to bash Janaff's face in for even suggesting the 'egg in nest' technique. The blasted bird had probably cracked his own eggshell from being dumped into a foreign nest.

Serrai surprisingly had not made a sound since they left. When asked, she replied that everything was okay because her big brother would live with her one day. She had made him promise. The strength of her confidence nearly made Keer smile with a little too much pride.

Keer, with watery eyes, watched her walk up the worn path to a house where she would be living the rest of her childhood. It just felt so strange.

The little girl turned one last time to wave goodbye, but the hawks had already taken to the skies.

There was something amiss back at Phoenicis. Neither of the older hawks could place it, but... Janaff let out a strangled yelp right then. Ulki and Keer glanced towards Janaff to see him pointing at something that was, thankfully, within their sight.

In seconds, whatever Janaff had been excited about was clarified. One of the academy's retired teachers, who had been a favorite among students in his day, was lounging drowsily atop a branch of one of their tallest trees. That wasn't what was troubling, however.

It was the blue cat laguz dressed in brown and orange, perched above the unsuspecting old hawk and ready to pounce.


	4. What a Bother

**Chapter 3: What a Bother**

The sapphire feline's paws were now positioned almost directly over the old hawk's head. Janaff gave a cry, which immediately alerted the retired teacher. His head shot up in confusion, connecting cleanly with the cat's jaw. The cat clutched his jaw with an injured hiss as he hastily scrambled backwards out of sight.

Ulki, for his part, paid no attention to the old hawk shaking his fist at them, instead concentrating on tracking the cat's movement patterns. With a satisfied grunt, the hawk fell into a steep dive and slammed his entire body hard against a tree trunk.

Janaff winced. The pressure had been so forceful that he could visibly perceive the tree vibrate.

A strangled yell was heard as the cat tumbled through the branches, desperately trying to regain balance by sinking his claws into the bark. The bark, however, continued to peel off each time he made an attempt.

Hovering beside Janaff, Keer couldn't help next but gasp, partly awed and partly disappointed. The Gallian had given up halfway down, managed to land on his feet as if it were perfectly normal, and escaped in a wing beat.

"Keer," Ulki ordered, "return home. Janaff, you and I will meet with the council at once."

"But what about that cat then?" Janaff asked.

"Would that be a wise decision if the council is unaware of a Gallian intruder?—Keer, don't you dare go looking, or I _will_ know!" The young hawk flew off in a huff with a giant pout on his lips. "Let us go at once. If the council does indeed know, then we had best wait for their say on the matter."

Upon their entrance, Strahl hurriedly accosted them at once without a word, accompanying them straight to the audience hall. Whatever either Ulki or Janaff had been expecting, this was the least of them.

Seated before the two hawks, at the other end of the hall, was none other than the great Gallian King Caineghis himself.

"I believe that I formally requested for King Tibarn most assuredly numerous times." The red lion raised a thick eyebrow, a strange glint in his eye. "Is the new, young hawk lord so incompetent as to employ even younger and more incompetent servants in his stead?"

Janaff could only stare as Strahl flushed scarlet both from embarrassment and from anger.

"Word was officially sent to all laguz territories that our new lord would have personal attendants." Unsurprisingly, it was Ulki had spoken.

"That may be true, but this is not something that can be discussed with subordinate rookies," Caineghis said. "Where is Tibarn?"

"Our utmost apologies for your displeasure," Ulki returned smoothly, "but although our status ranks second to none, Janaff and I are not permitted to inform anyone of King Tibarn's whereabouts. Even his general location is quite confidential."

Janaff found himself staring again; Ulki had just managed to lie straight between his teeth. They could only hope that this lie coincided with any outside information.

"If you are indeed his personal attendants, then I would surely expect you to know that this meeting was prescheduled." Irresponsibility hit Janaff in the gut. _Blast... That was what the document on his desk had been for!_ "Obviously, you have given me no choice but to remain here until this nation's juvenile delinquent returns. My subordinates will stay as well." At this point, Caineghis seemed to be more amused than anything else.

Alarms went off in young hawks' minds. During the last two months, due to Tibarn's untimely absence, the ravens had been anxious to wage war against them. To try and prepare against an invasion and to house the king of Gallia all at once was simply overwhelming.

Strahl reluctantly beckoned for the king to follow him, but as the lion rose, the doors suddenly burst open.

And it was none other than the elusive blue laguz from earlier, keeled over and panting in a rather suspicious manner, as if... As if he had just skirted trouble by the mere fringe.

"Your honorable kingship, I humbly beg for your mercy! My orders were to conceal myself, yet I strayed from my task! If you would only—" The cat finally raised his head. His bruised jaw went slack with shock.

"Y-You!!" he cried with an accusatory finger. He turned to Caineghis, spluttering, "Your kingship, I—they—those two—_scoundrels,_ they are! We must inform King Phoenicis so that he might—"

"Ranulf, calm yourself. Even if they are scoundrels, I am certain that Tibarn is aware enough of his own two attendants." Ranulf, suddenly silenced, blinked owlishly.

"Oh," was all he said. He seemed ready to protest more, but the Gallian king was already following a rather ruffled-looking Strahl. Ranulf settled for childishly sticking out his tongue, causing Janaff's fingers to twitch violently.

As soon as the room was void of any other occupants, Janaff exploded. "Would you believe it!? Phoenicis is not obligated to indulge King Gallia just because her king is on leave! I say we pull rank and kick him out! We have the authority!"

"That's the absolute last thing we need right now!—strife with Gallia!" the older hawk reminded him harshly. "We can hardly handle Kilvas as it is."

"But we'll be held responsible for any Gallian casualty should Kilvas attack. This tension is not exactly news."

"That is exactly why King Caineghis should be well aware of it. You are of no use to King Tibarn if you cannot see with those eyes of yours. King Caineghis is testing us." Janaff said nothing, but the following week served to be extremely awkward for the two of them.

Ulki's diplomacy was as infallible as ever, but behind his facade, his simple aura clearly presented his growing irritation. Janaff, strangely enough, began to participate more often and take his role more seriously, if only for the sake of his country and pride. His inexperience very nearly defeated that purpose, but he was undeterred.

Phoenicians were wise to keep their tongues rigid. Phoenicians were wise to check their physical actions.

In fact, Phoenicians were most wise to be _continuously_ conscious, because the Gallians had at least some leeway.

However, regarding Ranulf with disdain was the one thing that united the two hawks. Within that one week, Ranulf had made it known that he could get under anyone's skin, ever so subtly. Unfortunately, Janaff was his easiest target, frequently subjected to the sapphire cat's 'predatory' sounds, as if he were stalking prey. Ulki wasn't nearly as fun; Ranulf gave up after his first attempt when the hawk snapped his head around at hearing him over twenty meters away.

Along the way, Ranulf had also somehow managed to befriend the White Prince. The feline's utter tact seemed to symbolize Caineghis's deliberate mockery of them.

Things finally took a turn for the worst when one of the academy teachers showed up, worried that Keer had gone missing. When Janaff volunteered to conduct a search, he had expected Ulki's scorn for evading duty once again.

"Most excellent. I shall be able to focus completely on this ridiculous task," was the answer he got instead. Janaff felt his heart clench slightly. It wasn't as if he was useless. He could learn.

"Now, for the brat..." He set out for the far rocky shores first. Keer was only nineteen. He couldn't have discovered every nook and cranny in Phoenicis yet.

With a start, the hawk turned around. He could have sworn he just saw... But Ranulf surely wouldn't leave King Caineghis, though he wasn't sure whether Ulki had the authority to order another's subordinate of Ranulf's rank.

Janaff quickly became frustrated when this sequence continued for several minutes, and as they were on a rock-strewn path, his stalker had resorted to throwing small pebbles. All the hawk could do was to skillfully avoid them since he couldn't seem to catch the laguz in the act.

"Gah!!" Something had suddenly yanked sharply at his hair. He lashed out, missing his stalker's head by a mere hairsbreadth. Ranulf's grin was only ever devious.

"Blast it, you bloody, whiskered fur bag!"

"Some king's eyes you are." Ranulf laughingly gave the hair another playful tug before leaping a few stones ahead. "Come on. I'll help you find the kid. And before you ask, Prince Reyson sent me, not Ulki. He's taken quite a liking to you, and I just couldn't say no to this grand little adventure. We would make the best of partners!"

The hawk snorted derisively. "I'm afraid I don't quite share your sentiment. Furthermore, I couldn't possibly accept the generous gift you left on my pillow."

"Oh? But I thought mice were a major part of predatory birds' standard diet. Consider it rent for staying here and eating your food."

"Yes, well...rotting carcasses? Those ones must have been at least five days old! I had to burn my pillow after that! How did—no, forget it, never mind."

"Your balcony was wide op—hey, where are you going?"

Janaff, in a rare moment, had kept calm and was now rapidly walking along the top of a narrow cliff toward the ledge. If he could fly away before his unwelcome guest could stick around...

"Wait up!" Just as Janaff shape shifted and took off from the edge, his wings almost gave out from Ranulf's suddenly added weight. The hawk let out an indignant squawk, sorely tempted to shake the stupid cat off right then and there. Dark, ominous waters were welcoming him from below.

Fortunately for Ranulf, his weight would sooner drag Janaff down with him than be shaken off first. Janaff reluctantly set the cat back down on the edge.

"Look, I don't want you getting into danger on the brat's behalf. That's my job. I might seem selfish, but I already have enough things to worry about," Janaff said.

"I know," Ranulf said quietly. "I can't imagine what I would do if I were in your position, but I can understand that you would want to get away from it all by taking such a mediocre request as this."

"You can't imagine my position, yet you imagine that you understand anyway? Just...just leave."

Ranulf's tail twitched languidly. "That's a sharp tongue bound for trouble, you know, though I'm slightly guilty of hypocrisy by saying that."

"Will you go away already?" The hawk was getting impatient.

"No," Ranulf said abruptly, causing the other to glare. "There's another reason I came, and I didn't say it earlier because I wasn't sure how to. It wasn't only Prince Reyson, but I actually wanted to apologize for the past week... I'm sorry."

"I had hoped that my feeling on edge the entire time was just the situation, but then again, I've never been stalked like so before."

"I'm sorry," Ranulf said once more. "This is the first time I've been in such close contact with the bird tribe, and as a cat laguz, my dominant primordial beast temporarily took over. But even after I realized what was happening, I couldn't seem to stop myself. Would you grant me your forgiveness and permit me to accompany you? It would be the first step to an enduring alliance between our tribes!"

_What...the heck? Who begs like that? _"Be that as it may," Janaff reasoned, "I can only fulfill half of your request. I'll forgive you if you leave."

"As expected," Ranulf grinned. "And that is why King Caineghis has allowed me to assist you. Would you deny his generosity?"

"Then you must be well aware that I bear no responsibility for you, most especially since you are lying."

"Naturally."

Janaff proceeded to swear something terrible in his mind. The hawk had actually been bluffing, but with the way Ranulf had responded, he was now uncertain about whether Ranulf was really telling the truth. Blast it all.

"Do what you wish. As I said, I am not liable for anything." There wasn't much more Janaff could argue. However, from the look on Ranulf's face, the cat had clearly not thought him so easy to cave in.

"You'll not regret this!"

The hawk doubted it, but Ranulf held to his word as they journeyed across the rest of the shores. Now that Janaff's 'predator' senses weren't constantly heightened, Ranulf suddenly seemed to be quite affable.

Truth be told, by the time the two just about finished searching the outskirts, Janaff felt more relaxed than he had since this whole affair.

Yet night had fallen fairly quickly without either of them noticing it, and they had still not found Keer. Ranulf suggested that the little hawk might have returned while they were gone. Janaff simply shook his head and continued on, saying that the canyons were the last place to look and leaving Ranulf to ascertain their mutual level of trust that was based on motive.

The darkness proved to be too thick for their eyes to penetrate, even Ranulf's. The two instead settled for spending the night under a sparse outcropping of rock. Waking before dawn, they spent most of the early morning in a futile attempt to locate the little hawk.

As the laguz made to return to Phoenicis Hall, Ranulf commented out of the blue. "You're shedding."

"...Yes, thank you for your perception," came the wary answer. "No need to worry. Shedding feathers is a common phenomenon."

"May I have one?"

Janaff temporarily lost his footing and floundered about for a good few feet as he tried to compose himself. This cat was strange, as strange as a human could be. "Why would you want one?"

"The better question is why would I not want one? We have founded the beginnings of a tentative Gallian-Phoenician friendship. I would most certainly want such a memento! And come now, don't tell me you keep your discarded feathers?" The hawk belatedly realized the other's playful humor, and he decided to take part in the banter.

"Well, then nothing for nothing." Janaff gave a small but genuine smile, which earned him a hearty laugh in return.

"I suppose that's fair enough. ...Wait, what am I saying? Those feathers are of no worth to you!"

"That's why I'm offering those still attached to my wings."

"But isn't it the same thing? Besides, one can hardly mistake you as someone who is modest." Their conversation was rapidly turning into a witty spar of words; neither wanted to give up.

"I'm being modest enough for you to take feathers still attached, and wing feathers, mind you. As long as you don't try to pluck my tail feathers, I think we can make this work," Janaff said almost too seriously. He belied himself, however, when he tripped and fell and started to chuckle.

"Well said indeed!" Ranulf stepped forward to help Janaff up, but he coincidentally tripped as well, falling on the hawk and sending them perilously close to the edge of the canyon precipice.

Without warning and before either of them had time to react, the poor soil eroded. The dry fjord awaited them.


	5. Endless Turmoil

**Chapter 4: Endless Turmoil**

Long before Ranulf opened his eyes, he knew that it was a miracle he was still even able to feel his body aching all over. The cat supposed it was lucky that the fjord wasn't that deep. That little tumble, he was sure, would leave bruises enough to last for months.

_Dear goddess, Janaff!_ Ranulf nearly passed out from the threatening wave of nausea as he sat up.

When the cliff had given way, Ranulf had already known that Janaff would not be able to react in time and transform to pull them up out of the steep fall. He had therefore enclosed Janaff tightly with his own body and twisted his vertebra so that he would receive the impact, allowing his last bit of remaining hope for himself to fade away.

But his heart was still beating. The cat shakily pushed himself up and shuddered as he spotted another cliff edge a little over five meters away. Judging by its sheer drop, the cliff must have been a waterfall before the water had dried up. If they had fallen any closer to it... Ranulf felt his heart chase its way up his throat.

Janaff's stirring form nearby made Ranulf heave a sigh of relief as he turned away from the frightening possibility. What the hawk said next, however, did not.

"Honestly, out of all the frill-feathered places, did you have to drag me down with you into a cave?" It was the playful tone that scared Ranulf the most; they had just been involved in a deadly landslide, after all! And frankly, it was noon at latest. He swiftly strode over and firmly gripped the hawk by the shoulders.

"Hey, what's the big idea!?" But all Ranulf could think was, _Oh, goddess, how could you?_

Janaff's eyes were unfocused with a peculiar cloudiness to them, and Ranulf confirmed with a heavy heart that the hawk was indeed, as he suspected, blind.

Would King Tibarn—Ashera forbid, the entirety of Phoenicis!—find him at fault? Would all hope for a Gallian-Phoenician alliance be lost? Would King Caineghis be scorned forever because of him? Would he be exiled from Gallia? It ultimately led up to one question: Would _Janaff_ deem him guilty? That was the absolute last thing he wanted! But...he had no choice.

"Listen to me," Ranulf said, his voice struggling to pass his throat. "I am not one to hide things from others. I will tell you right now: You are blind."

Scarcely a few seconds had passed when the hawk's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Must you lie to me? Such scandalous behavior is unbefitting for one like you—well, actually, perhaps that is a bit false..."

_A scandal...if only you knew..._ Ranulf bit his lip. "I may lie on several occasions, but were I to disguise the truth about something this serious, guilt would consume me for all eternity."

"I believe the joke is over." Janaff tried to stand, but his balance was impaired without sight, and he fell right back down. "Just get me out of the blasted cave!"

"Not until you admit to yourself that you cannot see. Be grateful it is nothing worse." The cat's voice was sharp but not unkind.

"Do I look blind to you? I can prove my eyesight is just fine if you would lead me—"

"Say no more," Ranulf interjected, his guilt strangely forgotten. This conversation was already straying from the path it should have taken. "There is more than enough evidence to contradict your cave theory. Do you not feel the sun's heat on your skin? Or how our voices do not echo around us, instead echoing faraway?"

Janaff replied equally as biting. "If anyone is vision impaired, I think it is you. See here, I wasn't born with defective heterochromatin in my eyes."

"You gain nothing from this denial!!" Ranulf thundered back, regretting his coldness as soon as the words had escaped. A dreadful, deafening silence followed, but Ranulf was no longer able to read Janaff's emotions through his eyes.

Uncertain as to what to say next, the feline could only offer dully, "I _will not_ lie. If you could truly see, and if we were truly in a cave, then you would be able to see _my_ eyes. My heterochromatic pupils have not affected the luminescence cats' eyes have in the dark."

"You know not what I feel!" Janaff suddenly cried, his outburst being audibly choked with emotion as he jumped to his feet. "You're just an ignorant cat!"

"Am I, now? You should talk. And just when will you finally admit that you are no longer of any use to your king!?"

Janaff would most likely have retorted with something, but Ranulf's aim was too precise, both figuratively and literally. The hawk barely had time to acknowledge that the cat was correct in his assumption before a powerful left hook sent him staggering backwards.

Nonetheless, Ranulf had at least allowed him the dignity of hitting the wall...something Janaff could hang on to...use as a marker...

"You may sit there and sulk for all it is worth, but you may also recall that your friend Ulki yet carries a tremendous weight," he told Janaff, panting in frustration. "Your immaturity astounds me." He turned tail, proceeding to seek an escape route.

The walls were steep and without many niches, though Ranulf could easily scale it as a laguz. But even the few footholds themselves seemed to be precarious, and Ranulf was uncertain if he could save himself from a nasty plummet should he slip. Not with his current shape his body was in, anyway.

Janaff, however disoriented he may have been, could still recognize the footsteps fading away.

"You can't just leave me in this cave!" He wasn't blind. Really, he wasn't...

The hawk could no longer hear the cat anymore, but the question remained as to whether Ranulf was already gone or had simply stopped. He gave a low, nervous laugh, his resolve all at once greatly weakened.

_I couldn't even last half a year. I guess it's time to return home and be a humiliation for the rest of my life, but where to begin?_ Janaff idly wondered. He reluctantly chose a direction and began to make his way along the wall.

_Everyone was jealous of me when I was little. I possessed the true eyes of a hawk, not like others who were limited to 'decently better than human' vision. They were especially jealous since my parents were miraculously still around to be proud of me, although I never meant to overshadow those whose parents were enslaved. Tibarn was one of them._

_But he chose to be my friend. He said I was a hawk he could aspire to be equal to, even if I hadn't a fathom why. All I knew was that from then on he was hardly ever satisfied with his accomplishments._

_He also had another friend to look up to, but I didn't see him often. Though now that I think about it, that friend might have been Ulki..._

_Regardless of how much stronger Tibarn grew than me, he continued to assure me that he could still stand to be my equal. It was a while before I realized that he meant my eyesight, which then drove me to train harder._

_If my extraordinary eyes motivated him so much, his friend was probably also preciously gifted._

_When Tibarn became a popular candidate for king, I was overjoyed for him. This certainly must have been his childhood goal! But my heart sank just as quickly; our time spent together would be largely diminished._

'_Don't worry,' he said. 'You'll always be one of my windows to life outside of the Hall.'_

_He was elected as heir to the throne several months later, and almost immediately he proposed the idea of a personal attendant, a confidante._

_I was quite astonished when I myself was voted for candidacy. Our friendship was likely notorious for its strength, which a king would undoubtedly need, but I had near to little experience with these things. Though, the actual election would not happen until his coronation._

_The praise and accolades I received was overwhelming, invoking a new fervor within me. Now it was Tibarn that I could look up to instead if I was indeed selected._

_But everything has been in vain._

_...And now I owe Ulki a sincere apology with all my heart. Tibarn, what have you done? Things...could have been so much easier..._

His foot stepped into empty space. Had he listened, he would have heard Ranulf's terrified scream accompanying his own shriek of hysteria. Alas, Janaff's panic overrode everything. With the loss of both his balance and eyesight, the hawk could not tell up enough from down, nor could he compose himself enough to even fly. He simply let go.

Ranulf dashed on all fours as a laguz along the uneven ground, faster than he could ever recall running in his life. _This wasn't supposed to happen!_

He had discovered a location a small ways off, where the incline actually tapered off quite nicely. This would make things safer and more convenient for their travel. He would not leave Janaff behind; no matter how defiant the hawk might have tried to appear, Ranulf could still sense his instability.

The cat had returned, however, only to witness his friend a few steps away from the edge of the dry waterfall.

There was little he could do now. No one could survive falling over a second cliff, but the prospect of another miracle still lingered. Ranulf had the sinking feeling that Ashera was conspiring with Lady Luck to make them suffer.

Bravely sticking his head over the side, his eyes grew to the size of saucers as his breath suddenly escaped him. He supposed that at least Janaff wasn't a bloody heap down at the bottom...

But the circumstances couldn't have been any stranger.

Janaff was, in fact, positioned sideways on a tiny ledge jutting out from the vertical drop about ten feet down.

Ranulf wasted no time, recklessly leaping and nearly slipping off the ledge himself as he clawed at the rocky wall. Awkwardly landing atop the hawk, more or less, he gave him a rough lick on the cheek and placed a reassuring paw on his shoulder.

The hawk stiffened at once, his eyes temporarily opening, and after a few moments he attempted to sit up. Ranulf had to quickly shift forms, as there was little room to maneuver for the both of them in the first place. He gently guided Janaff's shoulders with his hands, noting that one wing sagged limply and did not coordinate well with the other.

Janaff proceeded to quietly bury his head in his knees. "...It's nothing...I can find my way home, even if it means tripping over small hills."

It took quite some time for the other laguz to respond. "You didn't trip. I watched you fall...yet I must consider that you tell me an honest lie."

"Of what importance is it to you?"

"Because ten feet may be a hill, but the vast scale of a waterfall is no small matter," Ranulf said softly. Janaff could not immediately repress the following chill coursing through his body, eliciting a dry sob, but nothing more. "Shall we return home?"

Janaff had hardly nodded his consent when Ranulf hoisted him onto his back and cleared the ledge in three bounds.

"I would hope that you finally understand the gravity of the situation," Ranulf commented. It wasn't until Janaff frowned into his back moments later that he realized his inappropriate timing. "Eh, oops... Sorry."

Meanwhile, several hours later...

"May I suggest that you kindly offer an explanation? And quickly, at that; it does not please me to know that the council thinks me your babysitter."

Keer had shown up with Janaff nowhere in sight, and Ulki had only expected as much. To be honest, however, Ulki would have granted Janaff the reprieve, without the need for some minor catalyst, had he been permitted to. The younger hawk was struggling more than he had to because, Ulki admitted, the older hawk was quite prepared to take on this brouhaha by himself.

Not that he cared to expose this to Janaff. The lesser rookie could keep his pride for the time being until he learned more about public affairs.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!" Keer apparently felt the need to grace Ulki with a meek smile on his dirtied, grimy face.

_Ugh...what I do for Tibarn and Janaff both..._

Just as he was about to interrogate the child further, a sentry interrupted with an urgent message for him; Ulki was to report to the Hall at once. King Kilvas had dropped by unannounced, wanting to settle the hostile hawk-raven affair. Ulki directed a narrow '_This will be settled, mark my words'_ look at Keer as he departed.

Keer gulped, knowing King Kilvas could only serve to irritate Ulki first before he was next. But for now... "Hey, Prince Reyson, come check out my awesome cave hideout!"

Thus far, Reyson had grasped the common language with no more than the shortest talon, but to Keer's credit, he allowed the child's obvious excitement to precede everything else as he let himself be dragged along.

When Ulki arrived, the raven king's greeting to him was ever so maliciously cordial with his smile. The hawk had difficulties against openly displaying his disgust.

"However shall we proceed?" The raven king's eyes glinted. "Word is that King Tibarn cannot be bothered to perform his duty. To think I believed otherwise."

_You spurn animosity with those words, King Kilvas._ "That is not entirely so," Ulki defended, "but while I cannot wholly speak for him, I am still officially eligible to discuss matters with you."

"I would request that the King's ears supply me with his name first."

"And I would that King Kilvas also introduce himself, as we do not always presume to know who is visiting," the hawk said testily. "You may address me as Ulki." He already knew with his ears, of course, what King Kilvas's name was, but he had too staunch of a commitment to Phoenicis's image in the face of Kilvas.

"Naesala will do." The raven waved it off. "Now," he said as he began pacing about, "we discuss. As it stands, Kilvas requests at least a third of your land."

Ulki remained seated. "Under what outrageous circumstances shall I even consider this?"

"Our resources run thin, and food is scarce. Because of this, we have been forced to resort to looting the human ships foolish enough to sail past. There is more than enough gold to go around if you require payment."

"A preposterous offer," the hawk noted suspiciously. "Human money would only be another reason to stoke the existing ire between our tribes."

At that moment, Strahl rushed in with a mix of wildness and hatred upon his features. "Raven cur! You dare violate our traditional nonaggression pact!?" Ulki could feel his blood seething through his veins. _An invasion!?_

Naesala smiled thinly in displeasure. "There goes my side of the bet..." he muttered as he stalked out, "though this was inevitable. Please, our pact was hardly written in stone."

"You need not worry about the civilians and Gallians, but the council and ranks both await your orders." The old hawk fixed Ulki with a grave look. "This may be your chance to prove yourself, youngling."

Ulki swallowed hard. "Allow the council to get to safety as well. Troops are to remain in hiding while on standby. I have things I must first take care of."

He would not let fear overcome rational thought, but he could not help feeling alarmed when he could not detect the presence of either Keer or the White Prince. Had Strahl been aware of this? Contemplating leaving the safety of the Hall, he was about to risk it when he heard familiar, subtle movements. Anxiously turning, he asked, "Janaff is not with you?"

"About that..." Ranulf's tail thrashed nervously from side to side as he averted his eyes.

Troublesome, indeed...


	6. Still Hope

Hey, I'm back (finally). I should start working on the final chapter, like, now. That way my hiatus time doesn't extend to crazy lengths for months. XD And if you're one of those readers that go, 'Hey, I remember this! I've been waiting, but I don't remember the storyline anymore,' I know how you feel. Sorry about that. Anyway, I hope you will review, especially since it's been so long since I last posted. I want to know how I'm doing and if the quality of writing is the same or what. Feel free to critique anything.

Read on, and enjoy the lateness of my work. XD

**Chapter 5: Still Hope**

This had undoubtedly grown to be the biggest fiasco Ulki had ever encountered to date. Tibarn had mysteriously vanished, leaving Phoenicis practically on its own. The run-ins with Begnion and Gallia had taxed his patience enough, but now Kilvas had decided to add to the mix.

He hated it. The hawk had been unprepared, every single time. Even the best he could do now was to order the troops on the defensive, yet he knew that Kilvas was already quickly taking control of the Hall. To top things, both his co-attendant and the White Prince were absent as well.

"Where are Janaff and Prince Reyson?" Ulki demanded coldly, giving Ranulf a hard stare. "What did you do to them?" His stance shifted threateningly.

Ranulf's eyes widened in panic as he held up his hands. "Hang on to your feathers there! You have me misconstrued! What grievous offense has my performance committed to warrant such treatment? Come, we shall talk somewhere out of any potential earshot."

"At this point, _you_ are hardly someone I can place my trust in." _Your presence is most unwelcome_.

"It appears that I have arrived too late to avoid scrutiny, but you should not ignore me." _I may hold the information you seek. There is no one else you can trust._ The cat's eyes seemed to be downcast.

It was the truth, they both knew, which Ulki acknowledged, but it did not avert his suspicions. For a split second, the hawk idly pondered at these incidents. He wouldn't be a bit surprised if Ashera had this planned in advance.

But that was of little importance, the hawk reminded himself, because they were running out of time.

Nodding sharply in confirmation, Ulki and Ranulf ventured into the inner chambers of Phoenicis Hall, where the latter unwound his tale.

* * *

Ranulf heaved with exertion as he hauled Janaff and himself over yet another rocky slope. Janaff wasn't heavy, but the cat decided to be compassionate and consider him a precarious load, therefore making an effort to traverse the landscape with more caution. Besides, he added to himself, both of them ached all over, and he was sure that the hawk had fallen asleep as well.

As the feline took a few more plodding steps, he came to an abrupt realization, an ugly one at that. How exactly was he going to explain this sticky situation when they got back?

But no, nothing should matter, Ranulf swore. He would be there for Janaff, whatever the cost. Were it not for the cat's negligence, the hawk would not be suffering any more than he had already been. Ranulf stopped for a moment, closing his eyes and sighing deeply.

Janaff, as far as Ranulf knew, had been forced along with Ulki to answer the call to the difficult task of running a country. Phoenicis's recent mishaps were no great secret to Tellius.

The hawk clan's position appeared to be fragile and vulnerable, especially in dealing with the episode with the human, an event which Ranulf found disconcerting.

But because he now had seen for himself, he could admit that the balance of power was not something easy to maintain without wisdom and strength. Ranulf was suddenly grateful that laguz chose their rulers by those principles, unlike the beorc and their interesting but stupid tradition.

However, he had effectively pushed yet another problem into the two hawks' hands. The trauma made for an unintended side effect.

A grave and cruel sin to inflict upon a new friend, a new brother, even if involuntary.

Ranulf's breath hitched the tiniest bit. Feeling Janaff shift on his back, he was ultimately glad for the distraction and began to move forward again. "Is everything all right?"

"As well as things could be, I suppose," came the halfhearted answer. "How long was I out?"

"...For a couple of hours or so," Ranulf said, making a quick white lie. It had actually been around four hours, but no one had to know, least of all Janaff.

"I hear you turning over loose stones instead of walking the smoother paths closer to home... Did you get lost?" The cat's brow furrowed slightly at the shrewd insight.

So much for the lie. Janaff could play this game too, Ranulf realized, though this seemed to work only when Janaff's head was clear of anything else or when Janaff concentrated entirely on the issue.

Without warning, the hawk on his back found a hold of Ranulf's sensitive tail and pulled at it as he tensed. Hissing at the sudden shock and its sense of urgency, Ranulf pivoted in a complete circle twice before Janaff commanded, "Be silent and listen! Do you hear something?"

The pair of laguz remained motionless for a few minutes. Ranulf was about to open his mouth when distant, avian shrieks pierced the air.

"Funny," the feline commented. "They don't sound like hawks, and they sound really angry too." He squinted in the direction of the cries, making out a few vague silhouettes. "They don't look much like hawks either."

"You idiot!" Janaff was furious. "That's because they're _ravens!_"

Ranulf paled. The two bird clans did not have the best of history between them, and with King Tibarn absent, the raven clan was certain to take advantage of it. Again, Ranulf felt relieved in that at least the entire beast tribe stood united.

The shrill calls sounded once more, and it dawned upon the cat that he and Janaff had been spotted. Cursing softly, he took off at a swift pace, Janaff gasping slightly when Ranulf resorted to leaps and bounds in order to best suit the rough terrain. Within minutes, Ranulf found what he sought: a hiding place. Granted, it was...well... He could explain to Janaff later. Shoving his friend in, he ordered, "Stay put."

Quickly sprinting away to avoid protest, he discovered that the ravens were closing in. The blue laguz coerced his tired legs to keep moving; he could handle three.

After leading them on for half a mile, Ranulf suddenly made an about face, shifting forms with a defiant roar erupting from his throat. The birds had already begun a downward dive, and although they were apparently unaffected by the roar, they did, however, pull up before his claws could draw blood.

With speed that surprised the first raven, Ranulf clawed his way up the nearest tree and swiped the avian down in a series of violent scratches.

He landed beside the mutilated body, refusing to glance at it. The bird tribes' affair was no business of Gallia's, and he wasn't about to have any more to do with them than absolutely necessary.

This time, Ranulf shocked both himself and the next victim as he somehow found the strength to leap at least eight feet directly upwards and extend his claws, dragging the squawking raven to the ground. He rapidly punctured a wing with his jaw, tearing muscle and crushing several bones between his fangs, eliciting a high-pitched screech. Blood loss would do it.

To Ranulf's relief, the last raven flew off in fear and confusion. He slumped against the nearest tree as he reverted. He would have been done for were he to have kept on. But now he faced a dilemma. After a brief moment, the cat stood up and started towards Phoenicis Hall as fast as his numb legs could carry him.

The urgent potential of a raven attack and bird tribal war outweighed the need to help Janaff return home.

_Forgive me, dear friend...I shall return..._

* * *

Janaff knew from the moment he had been pushed in. "Oh, no, I don't think so! You are _not_ leaving me in a cave _again!_"

The grating screeches drowned out his voice as he shouted obscenities at Ranulf. He tried to get up from the downward sloping tunnel to find the entrance. Of all times, Kilvas decided to attack now? But of course, Janaff chided himself. Phoenicis wasn't exactly stable. He should have been more surprised that they hadn't been invaded earlier.

These simply weren't Janaff's best moments of his life. In his haste, he slipped on the steep, uneven slope of the cave floor, tumbling ever deeper.

His destination was at the base of a large, damp cavern, and he lay there for a few minutes, catching his breath from having had the wind knocked out of him. Ignoring his renewed bruising, Janaff stiffly sat up.

He promptly yelped when something glossed softly but painfully over his one sore wing.

"Yanafu? Yanafu...here too!" a melodious voice rang through the darkness. Janaff's hunch was confirmed as his hands were grasped in another's own delicate ones.

But why?—and how?

"Your Highness, how on earth did you manage to find your way so far from the safety of the Hall?" Janaff was more than concerned. Herons were the heralds of light. They didn't belong in caves.

"Keer want me to see and play," Reyson responded, looking pleased at his use of the common language.

So the brat had returned on his own after all! Yet it must have been brief, because he certainly was not here with Reyson either. Why couldn't the stupid brat just stay in one place!? It was like in between one and zero with him. Never quite here, but never quite there.

"Where is Keer? Did he leave you here by yourself?" Janaff asked, emphasizing the words slowly.

"Keer want me to see and play," the other repeated. The hawk's lips drew into a firm line; it would appear that Reyson had only answered his first query by chance. Reyson wasn't finished speaking, however. "Yanafu, what happen?" Janaff winced as Reyson lightly poked his sore body.

"Ow!—er, I mean, it's nothing. What happened to _you?_"

The mostly irrelevant response was difficult to decipher. The White Prince made a small noise of frustration, and the hawk could almost hear the ancient language about to spill from his tongue. "Keer play, but then...then..." He began to poorly imitate a raven's caw. "He say go, and I not know why. Keer make me go, but he run and look. I not know way back," Reyson explained.

Well, Janaff figured, he at least now knew what had caused Keer to be absent from the Prince's side.

The hawk would have to help Reyson return now, which would be difficult given that he had lost his sight and did not have a reliable guide anymore. Praying for some kind of miracle, he resumed the tedious game of word tag. He realized that simple comprehension would require simple wording, but the range was limited. The two tongues had little in common.

Their increased level of impatience caused the situation to take a turn for the worse. Janaff didn't know what Reyson was saying, but the inflection of the heron's spite tore cleanly through the language barrier.

"I know you are the White Prince, but I can't help you if you don't try to help _me_ understand!"

"Why you not understand? ... Vulci always understand," was the scornful reply.

"If you stop talking in your blasted ancient speech so much, I would probably get it! I don't need this from you!"

"You not know anything what I say!" Reyson finally exclaimed. _Your intelligence is beneath me!_ This was, sadly, the first thing that had become clear between them.

Janaff clenched his fists, seething in suppressed anger. This was no good. He would have to do this on his own. Taking a haphazard guess at direction, he swiftly turned away from Reyson's voice and stepped off with surprising confidence. He took one step before colliding face first with the cavern wall and falling unceremoniously to the floor.

It was silent for several seconds as the White Prince stared, blinking slowly. When the initial shock had passed, he threw his head back in a burst of laughter. After all, Janaff wasn't particularly hurt, right? He did seem to sport a fresh mark on his temple, though. With a few nudges, Reyson attempted to assist the hawk in rising, who firmly rejected the help.

However, seeing as Janaff was about to pitifully humiliate himself again, Reyson quickly reached for his hand. All traces of dislike were replaced with genuine warmth.

"I go first, you come follow next. Yes?"

"No," Janaff retorted flatly, "you don't know the way home."

"But I know how to see, and better than you." The hawk wasn't sure whether to take that as an insult or merely as a stated fact. With a sigh, he resigned himself. There wasn't much he could say to that, anyway.

* * *

"Ulki," Strahl addressed the young hawk, "I am afraid the current outlook is grim."

Ranulf could have sworn that Ulki's eyes, which had been focused on him, had suddenly achieved the ability to drill miniscule holes through his head and into the base of his skull. He gulped. "What happened?" he dared to ask in Ulki's stead.

"The enemy has ambushed our forces. Most of our hawks have become lax while on active duty since they expect little from Janaff and you. Regardless," Strahl spoke hastily to distract Ulki from further contempt, "our soldiers have been overwhelmed. The ravens seemed to have discovered all of the locations at which the hawks hid. If there are any hawk soldiers still out there, you would be hard-pressed to find them willing to answer."

"But nobody has been hurt," the other hawk stated. "And what of the civilians and Gallians? Any change in their status?"

"Thankfully, no. However, we may possibly owe a debt to Gallia. Every Gallian has left the Hall and gone to the civilian villages. Since they are clearly neutral in this inter-tribal conflict, Kilvas would not dare do anything to jeopardize this standing. Our civilians are safe without our troops."

"It must be obvious now, though," Ranulf objected, "that Gallia has indirectly decided to take Phoenicis's side."

"No, not necessarily, but neither tribe is about to openly declare war on top of an existing one," Ulki noted. "Whether Gallia is indeed lending their aid, they are clever to stay away from the target location for their own safety."

"Correct, young hawk. Few sentries have been posted at the villages, and the main raven force is concentrated here. In fact, they have laid siege to Phoenicis Hall, and they can invade the entire Hall at a moment's notice." Ranulf's jaw dropped, but Ulki's face remained impassive.

"That means we are helpless! You have already let them win!" the cat cried in alarm. "Phoenicis Hall is taken if all the Gallians have gone. Gallia will not make the first move."

Ulki's tone was severe. "I desire to know what makes you believe that your country will support us. You might, but will Gallia?"

The room lapsed into silence. Unbidden, Ranulf recalled his self-promise to Janaff. After a moment, Ranulf answered, "Regardless, Gallians are surely permitted to roam, if only cautiously. You may be able to use me." This was just a step towards fulfilling that promise.

Ulki nodded in approval. "Get to work."


End file.
